January 23, 2007

Woman first to be charged under Act

NST: SHAH ALAM: A businesswoman is facing a lengthy jail sentence and a hefty fine for allowing her husband to practise modern medicine illegally in a building owned by her.
Siti Ea’lla Amir Ghani, 52, made history yesterday when she became the first person to be charged with the offence under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998.
The Act was gazetted in May and enforced in November last year.
Siti, the owner of Ea’lla Enterprise, claimed trial after she was charged for allegedly allowing her husband to use her premises for an unlawful trade.
The husband is a registered traditional medical practitioner but is not licensed to practice modern medicine.
The alleged offence was committed at No. 3, Jalan Sejat 8/10, Section 8, here, at 1pm on Oct 11.
She faces a maximum fine of RM300,000 or six years’ jail, or both.
Magistrate Hafizah Abd Rajak fixed trial for March 5.
Deputy public prosecutor from the Health Ministry Salahudin Hidayat Shariff prosecuted, while Siti was represented by V. Kumaresan.
She was accompanied by a couple who shielded her from Press photographers after the proceedings at the magistrate’s court.
Siti, dressed in a blue baju kurung, ran out of the courtroom to her car.
While the man shielded her face with a newspaper, the woman prevented photographers from running after her.
The man also kept yelling at the photographers, accusing them of being inhumane.
Siti’s husband was in the news in October last year when Selangor health officers raided the clinic after receiving reports that he was practising modern medicine and also performing surgeries.
He was alleged to have removed kidney stones, tumours, ovarian cysts and other diseased body parts.
When the raiding party visited the clinic, they were surprised to see the “doctor” attending to patients in a hospital setting, surrounded by medical equipment, models of the human skeleton, posters and medical books.
Health Ministry officers raided the clinic the following month and seized surgical and other equipment. The “doctor” fled before the officers arrived.
He had been operating at the clinic for more than 10 years and his patients included foreigners.
Checks by the authorities also revealed that patients were charged between RM350 and RM4,000 by the “doctor” who also offered traditional cures.